To the uninitiated, Google can seem mysterious. It’s almost like a magical, all-powerful force that guides your destiny based on your worthiness. Your fate of prosperous abundance or grim failure is in the hands of this unseen force that guards its secrets jealously and rewards only the cleverest of champions with its unfathomable power of SEO riches. Well, it seems a little like that sometimes anyway.
In reality, Google is merely a tool that can be used to help people, potential customers, find and connect with you on the web. There is not anything particularly magical about it, although at times it does seem somewhat mysterious. The mystery is just Google’s way of doing business; they use algorithms to rank web pages and determine who finds you based on what words they use when searching.
Here are some keys (magic keys if you prefer) to help you unravel the riddles you face as you embark on your new SEO campaign. Whether you are on the quest alone or seeking the best SEO company in the realm, these keys will help you define and answer your most pressing questions.
Magic Key #1: What are these keywords of which you speak?
Keywords hold the first key to SEO success. A keyword is merely a word or phrase that you determine through research that people will likely type in when they are searching for your product or service. When you find the right keywords, start integrating them into your pages. Use them in your page titles, in the headings and the body copy. Make sure that you also incorporate keywords into your URL.
Magic Key #2: Why do links matter?
Hypertext links to content on and off of your page, as well as links that other pages have placed to your page, all serve to build your page’s credibility. Google views multiple links from related pages to your page as the best indication that your information is reliable and useful. When you place links to other pages on your site and external links, you help your SEO campaign by engaging your users.
Magic Key #3: How will the power of meta tags serve the quest?
Powerful search engines, like Google, look at something called meta tags when indexing and ranking your web page. The meta tags give the search engines in-depth information about the content of your site in titles, descriptions, keywords and summaries that help determine the content of your page in an instant. Having a well thought out plan for meta tags will boost your SEO ranking considerably.
Magic Key #4: What SEO tools are available?
A virtual plethora of free SEO audit tools are available to make your journey an easier one. Tools are helpful because they allow you to keep up with page traffic, monitor user behavior, streamline routine maintenance tasks and much more. Some tools require an investment, but many of the most useful ones are free. As you plan your SEO campaign, research the tools you will need to reach your goal.
Magic Key #5: How does a page attract?
Creating a well-planned page that contains useful information is the best strategy for attracting users. Truth in advertising works to the extreme in the cyber world. Never promise something in a headline or meta description that your page cannot deliver with its content. Doing so will increase your bounce rate and damage your overall SEO ranking. Focus on creating a useful page that is well-structured for search engines and increased traffic and ranking will develop naturally. One more thing—use a flexible design to optimize your pages for tablets and mobile phones.
Magic Key #6: Does page loading speed matter?
Yes, how fast your page loads affects SERP results in a couple of ways. First, Google does count page speed as a factor in ranking your page, albeit not a heavily weighted one. The critical thing about page loading speed is how it affects your bounce rate. The average user will currently wait a minimum of 2 seconds for a web page to load. After that? They hit the back button and find another, speedier option. Improve your page loading speed by reducing image sizes and using structured design methods.
Magic Key #7: How will users find your video?
Many of the same rules apply to videos and YouTube SEO as to any other content on the web. Make sure the titles and descriptions match the content of the video, create links to video and stay consistent with branding. Sharing videos on social media and optimizing the file sizes for mobile devices can also have a positive impact on video search rankings. If you embed video from YouTube on your web page instead of just linking to it, web crawlers will have an easier time connecting it with the rest of your site.
Magic Key #8: What is SEM?
SEM is “Search Engine Marketing,” and it involves spending money on paid advertisements as opposed to the freebie tactics covered under SEO. Delving into SEM before you master SEO may be hazardous to your success. Many of the same principles apply to both strategies, and you can use them effectively in conjunction with each other, but it is usually better to perfect your plan before you start spending money on ads.
Magic Key #9: What dark spells should you avoid?
There are plenty of tricks on the “dark side” that you should avoid in your quest for SEO mastery. Plagiarizing content, “stuffing” your page with irrelevant keywords and domain cloaking are some of the worse ones. Google is on to all of these tricks and does not mind punishing offenders by mercilessly lowering their page ranking.
Magic Key #10: What forces are beyond your control?
The trouble with launching an SEO campaign is that even the best SEO company in the world cannot tell you exactly how Google determines ranking. Some mysteries are never to be revealed. User behavior is also beyond your control. You can influence it by using some of the strategies presented here, but you cannot control how users will interact with your site. Only time and experience will help you conform to your audience’s habits and preferences.
Magic Key #11: How will you know the magic is working?
You will only be successful at SEO when you reach the predetermined goals you have set for your pages. Was it to get more page visits? Get more email opt-ins? Make more sales? Set realistic goals upfront and keep tweaking both your goals and SEO activities as you learn more about the magical process.
A Never Ending Saga
Search engine optimization may seem like a form of wizardry but thoroughly tested scientific knowledge confirms it. When you are looking for support as you start your campaign from scratch or need some shoring up of the weak spots, Boostability can help!
Boostability is a leading white label SEO provider with partnering agencies located worldwide. Our team of experts can help you learn how to sell SEO services and grow your book of business as well as deliver a data-driven campaign that will help drive growth for your clients.
Learn more about what it takes to become an SEO reseller and how it can significantly scale your business!
